King City: Sullinger Delivers (Again)

Dave Telep

07/08/2009

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Jared Sullinger, over the span of three games, was extremely consistent. Go figure, one of the best big men in the nation for the past three years, Sullinger is writing a nice chapter at the King City Classic.

C.J. Leslie, PF: No matter the venue, Leslie is always one of the most talented guys in the building. Head coaches are here to eyeball him en masse. In the first half of his second game, the athletic package was on display. Around the rim he's a quicker leaper than his peers and has superior touch. On defense he chases blocks and has the ability to transport the ball end to end. Earlier in the day he owned his matchup. Nice outing.

Okaro White, PF/SF: Thought he played first game with excellent energy and was effective around the basket. Will be a good player for the Seminoles.

Jelan Kendrick, PG/SF: Big day for him. For starters, we're promoting him to point guard. Why not? He wants to play that position anyway. We'd love to go point-forward but that's not an option in the Scout.com database. On the court, his touch is outstanding on the move and he's great mid-range. Needs to be a money handler and extend his range. Other than that, we're all in on him.

Jumail Jones, SF: He's a guy we are still getting familiar with. Appreciated how hard he chased rebounds. Body is college ready on the wing, he's got improving ball skills and plays with a purpose. If he gets consistent look out. Will sign high-major.

Gerard Coleman, SG: Filled out the stat sheet. Kid has wide shoulders, isn't afraid to rebound and has developed his basketball IQ. Providence has a guy it can bank on to bring it and be a major player the next four seasons. Nothing forced, good, smart player. Jumper is streaky and he makes his share but that's an area he can improve upon. Plus, he guards multiple positions.

Will Barton vs. Jereme Richmond: Didn't materialize to sensational status. Barton came out early with strong drives but this one didn't carry over in the second half. Wish this one had gotten heated.

Kendall Marshall, PG: His size against Andre Stringer really helped him finish off his drives. Has to sharpen his jumper but all the other pieces are there. Plus, he's best as a conductor and he'll have plenty of hoopers around him in college.

Jared Sullinger, C: It's the same effort every time and sometimes we neglect to report the fact that he's having a good event. He's so productive and consistent he tends to be taken for granted when in fact he should be lauded for his work. Super around the hoop, owns his rebounding area and user friendly for his teammates. Might have been the top performer on the day. Same effort, same results. Now, he's throwing Kevin Love outlet passes too. Final thought: this kid has a big body. These are long games here and his motor never stops. With him, its never an injury or an excuse, he always answers the call to play and for that you have to respect him and his game.

Roscoe Smith, SF: Thought he played with a lot of energy in the morning session. Made his share of 3s. First half was better than second from the perimeter. Evening game was energy filled as well.

Andre Dawkins, SG: He let some guys get into his head in the afternoon but rebounded in the evening with a better game. Tried to hammer it down when he could. Powerful athlete and when he's attacking and not settling for jumpers he's at his best.

Rakeem Christmas, C: At this point, if guys haven't learned they need to. When you beat your man and he's waiting at the rim, you're not going to win. This is the best shot blocker in the country and he's on top of his game once again.

Branden Dawson, SF: The best rebounders are instinctual and Dawson understands the importance of cleaning up the mess others make. Every event we've watched him at, Dawson has boarded with the best in camp. When he makes the jump shot he's very impressive. Love his attention to detail on the glass.

Michael Gilchrist, SF: What's not to like. There are two differences between here and other spots on tour. First, the college guys are getting to see what the analysts have watched all year long. Second, he's making more jump shots than usual. What hasn't changed a bit is his explosion, finishing and creating going to the rim.

Johnny O'Bryant, PF: He's beginning to put the pieces together. Great athlete who can play in traffic but we loved how he attacked and finished at the rim. Powerful kid with a significant ceiling.

Marquis Teague, PG: Maybe someone can slow him down tomorrow. Didn't happen today as Teague ripped through all the Americans and the lone Chinese point guard he played against. Basically, he got to the rim as needed. His speed gets talked about a lot – and for good reason – but this guy can pass and create.

Rutgers officially landed point guard James Beatty out of the junior college ranks. Beatty had been Rutgers primary point guard target through most of the spring. …

Probably should begin listing Jelan Kendrick as a PG. He assimilates into that role no matter what team or position designation he's given. He's going to be that spot in college. … Cameron Clark had a great spring. Somehow he's lost his confidence. Too good of a player to not be confident all the time. … Mike Shaw, 2011, is a major talent. He does a lot of great things in flashes like traffic rebounds, hustle plays and perimeter shots. If he puts the pieces together he could be a helluva player. …

Phil Pressey has exemplary vision. Next step is getting that jumper down so he can be a big threat in college. Always has good energy and is a strong teammate. … C.J. Leslie had a young big guy checking him in the a.m. and he went to work. Too much athleticism and finishing ability to be stopped. …

John Beilein's a smart guy and a big time evaluator. Evan Smotrycz could play for a lot of people. Questions about him defensively were addressed today when he moved his feet well enough against Johnny O'Bryant in what should have been a difficult guard for him. … Daniel Alexander is skilled but his biggest area of improvement will need to be his body so he can guard four men in college. … Crandall Head is one explosive guy to the rim and his first step is his finishing step. …

One of the most impressive plays we witnessed today was an explosive wing drive out of Justin Anderson which culminated in an athletic, one-handed flushed. It happened very quickly. … Junior Trevor Cooney went on a spree of makes from the perimeter to close out his final game of the day. Cooney can shoot and that's what he's noted for but don't sleep on other aspects of his game. …

James Johnson said Jeff Capel has done a nice job establishing a relationship. He talks to the Sooners the most. … Andre Stringer has LSU, Miami, Mississippi State, Marquette and Alabama checking him. … Rakeem Christmas isn't ready to produce a big list but he did indicate that Villanova, Kentucky and Georgetown were tracking him the hardest. … Dominique Ferguson said Connecticut has begun calling. Kentucky, Indiana, Arizona, Tennessee, Florida and DePaul in the mix. … Branden Dawson said Purdue and Indiana won't let him out of their sights. …

Johnny O'Bryant, gold medalist, doesn't think much about recruiting. "I got two years, I don't worry about it," O'Bryant said. Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Baylor, Arkansas, Kentucky, Florida State, Oklahoma, Memphis and South Carolina are on him. O'Bryant said Josh Pastner has done a good job cultivating that relationship. … C.J. Leslie said Kentucky, Florida and UNC (all head coaches here) are on him hardest. Tennessee, Wake Forest, Oregon and N.C. State are in the mix and we think others. …